The Cure
by Unikorn
Summary: Hermione returns to Hogwarts to correct a wrong. HGSS mostly but not like you think. Story now is officially FINISHED.
1. Return

Disclaimer: Figured I'd better put this in since everyone else has. The characters and setting are NOT MINE. They belong to the genius of J. K. Rowling. However, the plotline is mine, and I apologize beforehand if it happens to mirror anyone else's story.  
  
The Cure  
  
Chapter 1. Return  
  
Hermione sighed heavily as she seated herself in Remus's office. She glared into the fireplace, not really seeing the flames dance merrily doing little to warm the chill air. She toyed with the amulet she was holding in her lap, trying to avoid thinking about why she had finally returned to Hogwarts.  
  
Remus stood from his desk and offered her a cup of chocolate, one of Hermione's favorite drinks of the Muggle world. She had gotten him quite addicted to the caffeine that seemed to be prevalent in many of the Muggle drinks. He knew the British Muggles normally tended to drink tea, but coffee had a better kick. He tried to keep to coffee in the morning, but at night, especially in the winter, it had to be chocolate.  
  
Hermione took it without a word, still staring sightlessly into the flickering coals. Remus, sensing her mood, sat himself down into a chair next to hers and waited. He had noticed the amulet in her hands as soon as she had stepped through the fireplace, and knew she had finally reached her goal, a goal that she had set for herself some fifteen years before, just a few days before graduating. Or at least he hoped she had.  
  
After a while, Remus shifted a little in his seat, which brought Hermione out of her reverie.  
  
"I'm sorry. I hadn't meant to be so ... distracted," she murmured as she shook herself. "I didn't even say hello, did I?"  
  
"No, not really, but it's very understandable. You've been gone for six years, and although there have been some changes since you were last here, you are more or less coming back home." Remus smiled slightly. "You did live here quite a while after graduation."  
  
The corners of Hermione's mouth finally lifted a little in response. "You know I hadn't intended to make Hogwarts my permanent home. I did have to move on, even though my work was far from done."  
  
The current headmaster nodded slowly. "Speaking of your work...." Remus let his voice trail off and glanced meaningfully at the bauble Hermione was twisting about in her hands. Hermione finally looked at it and held it up for Remus to see. "Is it ready?" he asked.  
  
She bobbed her head. "I hope so," she said, mirroring his thoughts. "I don't know how much longer I could go on researching if this doesn't work. I've run out of ideas ..."  
  
"You've exhausted all the books you can find on the subject? Even the ones at Hogsbridge and Hogsford?"  
  
"Yes, and even the ones at the Muggle Universities that have anything on the subject. There's not many of those; however, they usually keep them in the fiction section of their libraries. Frightening, really, considering that someone could just come in and lift a spell from their pages and be none the wiser for it until it blows up in their face. That is, if they happen to want to dabble a bit, which many do wish to do these days..."  
  
Remus shook his head sadly. To think that Muggles could be so naive.  
  
Hermione shuddered. Up until the time she was sent the invitation to attend Hogwarts, she had no idea that the wizarding world existed. She knew she had wanted something more out of life, even at such a tender age. Had she not been invited, she would have continued her own personal experiments and research and would have wound up "blown up" from dabbling, as well. Thanks to her years at Hogwarts, she had learned the proper way to do it, and had only singed her eyebrows once or twice for her efforts.  
  
"Well, anyways... " Hermione changed the subject. "I suppose he's still haunting the Laboratory."  
  
"Oh yes. He's giving the Potions prof a run for her money. He won't leave well enough alone."  
  
Remus pursed his lips at the thought. He should have given Snape the Defense Against the Dark Arts position much sooner, but he had thought that Hermione's research would have come up with a solution to his predicament a lot quicker than it had. In the meantime, Snape had become quite at home in the Potions Lab. He still wandered about the school as he always had, but the Lab was where you could usually find him, even with the new Professor and her class in attendance. Too often she would come stomping up to his office complaining about some new "stunt" he had pulled.  
  
As he stood, he offered to refresh Hermione's chocolate, but she declined. While he had been brooding about Snape, she had retreated into her own thoughts. She had worked so long and so hard on this amulet and what it represented that she had no idea, really, of what she was going to do with her life if it did work. Things would be different... not a lot different... but different for her.  
  
It was already late. The amulet could only be effective around Snape's neck, and he usually was seen at night, except, of course, when he was teaching class. *Or when he's disrupting other classes* Hermione thought to herself. She rose and held out her hand to Remus... then thought better of it. She approached him and gave him a hug with a smile.  
  
Remus returned her embrace and grin, but he noticed that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He could tell her mood hadn't changed. He knew what she had returned to do, and, to be honest, he wasn't entirely happy. He would have to take over the DADA class, at least for the time being. However, he knew Snape would finally be freed from his predicament, and for that blessing he was relieved. Snape had been almost inconsolable since Hermione left, as his hopes had been riding on her research.  
  
She turned to go and then paused. "Did he know I was coming tonight?"  
  
Remus shook his head. "I wasn't sure how to tell him. I thought that maybe you should be the one to explain it. It would come easier from you." *Besides, how could I explain it IF you hadn't shown?* The headmaster realized that somehow, somewhere, he had become Snape's "guardian" as it were. He didn't really like that thought, seeing as how they used to be, at the very least, schoolmates.  
  
Hermione glanced back with a weak smile... even a little watery around the edges. She knew she would be back later that night, and she hoped he would at least be her soundingboard. She was going to need it. 


	2. Reflections

A/N.... I know the last chapter was vague... it was meant to be. Perhaps not a good idea for a new author, but I'm taking a chance. This chapter might shed some more light on the subject... and for those looking for some "snogging".. you aren't going to find it here....  
  
Chapter 2. Reflections  
  
  
  
As she wound her way down into the bowels of the school, she scanned the faces of the students for any familiarity. Many of her classmates should have had their children there as students, at least in the first three years. There may have been a couple she ought to have recognized, but as she had kept to herself holed up in the school for the first nine years since she graduated, she had lost touch with most of them.  
  
Harry had married Ginny four years after he had graduated, and they had two beautiful little red headed girls with bright green eyes. The older one, Beatrice, had shown some extreme power from the start, but the younger, Genie, was somewhat befuddled. She reminded Hermione of Neville in her manner: sweet, but slow. Both were likely to be invited to Hogwarts, but Beatrice had another couple of years before she was old enough.  
  
Ron had waited patiently for her, and was still waiting. He followed his father's footsteps into the Ministry of Magic, after trying to help Hermione for a year after the attack. He had decided that he needed to move on with his life, but his heart had been given to her since before the Winter Ball during their fourth year, whether he had been aware of it or not. Improbably romantic as it seemed, he actually hadn't seen anyone else until six years ago.. when he begged her to give up her research. He had noticed it was wearing her away, and he was afraid that she would die before he could ever get her to rejoin the real world. She compromised, reluctantly, and moved in with him; however, her research continued, just not so diligently.  
  
She strolled through the halls as her mind worked over the details of the spell she had memorized. Her encounters came fewer and far between as the hour approached curfew, when the students should be in their House towers. Those that she did see were scampering madly to their Common Rooms as none had any desire to run into Filch with that mangy cat, Mrs. Norris the Third. It never ceased to amaze Hermione how he could find cats that looked and acted worse than the previous one he owned.  
  
Before she knew it, she found herself in the Battle of Hogwarts Hall. As she glanced up, she caught sight of yet another student barrelling his way towards the end of the corridor. She felt her breath catch for he actually looked frightened, which reminded Hermione vividly of the day of the attack.  
  
Hermione closed her eyes as the memories of screaming panicked students rushed past her into the night. She felt the wind of their passing and heard their echoes ringing against the vaulted ceilings. She smelled the stench of sulfur and frying flesh, and found herself clutching the wall beside her. She opened her eyes. *Too much thinking... Must move on... Get this over with* she panted to herself. She glanced about tentatively, hoping noone had seen her.  
  
Such spells had plagued her often during the first few years after the attack. She knew she wasn't the only one who experienced them as the attack had occurred just a few days before the Graduation Ceremonies. Many of the students had had their parents there to visit the school along with several dignitaries who had decided that, since the Boy Who Lived was graduating that year, it was a momentous occasion. Voldemort had planned his attack well, killing and maiming as many people as he could while he did his best to get to Harry.  
  
She straightened herself, brushing up against the soot blackened stone behind her. They had named this particular part of the school after the battle, since the brunt of it took place here. There were even still a couple of holes in the walls as a reminder to the students of the historic events that occurred there.  
  
Hermione reflected that most of the students in the school probably didn't even remember a time when Voldemort was alive, or even half-live. It was partly the reason she didn't want to be seen during one of her spells. It just wouldn't do for some unknowing youngster to find her passed out. When she was still living here six years prior, it wouldn't have been too unusual a sight, but these children didn't even know her.  
  
She pulled her hair back from her face and straightened her robes. She paused for a moment to check to see if she still had the amulet, and noticed it lying on the floor in front of her. She bent over to pick it up.  
  
"I should be deducting points from Gryffindor, since, once again, I have caught you out of bed, Miss Granger," came an oily voice out of the darkness. 


	3. Reunion

A/N Thank you to the few who have reviewed my story. I really do appreciate the insight, and will try to incorporate all your questions into the story. I did outline this story somewhat before I started writing, but I'm finding that my "muse" sometimes wants to take over and include other things which I hadn't previously planned. As I've said before, this is my first fanfic, and there have already been some minor changes. Please continue to review, as I'm wide open for constructive criticism. Those of you who don't like the story.. well.. quit reading... lol.  
  
  
  
Chapter 3. Reunion  
  
Hermione straightened up and grinned at the wall, then plastered on a sufficiently aggravated pout before she turned to greet her former professor. He stood there, pale as ever, with a stern look on his face, which softened somewhat at her appearance.  
  
"Professor Snape, surely you remember that I couldn't possibly be in bed, since I no longer have one here in the school," she whined plaintively. At her tone, his expression soured.  
  
"Miss Granger, please, spare me the sniveling," he groaned. " Apparently, you are unaware that, pathetic as it may have been, it was my attempt at a joke."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Why, Professor," she exclaimed. "I believe that is the FIRST time I have heard you try a joke. In all the years..." She stuttered to a stop, as he had suddenly done an about face and glided on down the corridor towards the classrooms.  
  
Her shoulders slumped as she pursed her lips. She had known that Snape was being, in his own way, jovial, when he first spoke to her, but his temper had gotten the better of him. Evidently, he was out of practice with the art of banter.  
  
"Professor," she called after him as she hastened to catch up with him. "Professor... please... wait... " she panted as he sped up. She clutched the amulet to herself as she pursued him.  
  
"Dammit... SEVERUS!" she bellowed, completely forgetting that it was now past curfew. She slowed to a halt. She found herself just outside the Potions Lab, precisely where she had intended to go in the first place. She growled aggravatedly and approached the room. Suddenly, Snape's head popped through the door.  
  
"Well? If you are here to help me then let's get on with it, Hermione," he sneered drawing each syllable of her name out, apparently hoping it would irritate her.  
  
Instead, it calmed her. It reminded her of the years they had spent together working to counteract the curse that she had inadvertently placed on him. She had gotten to know her previously dreaded professor pretty well by working side by side with him, and had found him to be very like minded. He was quite intelligent, and in constant pursuit of new and better information, whether it had to deal with potions, the Dark Arts, or anything else for that matter. He had contented himself with creating and using various potions while he had been a teacher, so much so he had been able to write a textbook of Exotic Potions which was now used as learning material for the students of the higher years. Hermione also admired his acerbic wit, and sometimes had found herself in stitches with his droll observations of the current Potions professor and her classes. He never smiled, but every now and then, she had caught a gleam in his black eyes that usually led to some sort of "stunt", as Remus had put it, or a caustic remark that would cause his target some sort of befuddlement.  
  
Hermione missed his company. She had long gotten used to the idea that she actually COULD miss him. During the first couple of years, especially when Harry, Ginny, and Ron had stuck around to help her, she had avoided him, due to the fact that she was highly embarrassed about the situation. But as her friends one by one had left to continue on with their lives, she had had to find someone to relate to, as many of the students she had known during her years as one of them were either all graduated, or getting ready to do so.  
  
Most of the professors were still there, but some had been killed in the attack. One, the much loved Dumbledore, had literally lost his mind. Some Death Eater, probably that accursed Lucius Malfoy, had cast a rather powerful mind erasing spell, probably not even intended for the former headmaster. Dumbledore had simply gotten in the way and was unprepared. Some whispers, though, indicate that maybe he was "ready" for it in a totally different manner. They thought that maybe he was willing to take the fall as it was so close to the end of Harry's schoolyears and he was just plain tired.  
  
In any case, Hermione missed the old mage. She had gone to visit him on occasion at the Home for Retired Wizards, and was happy to note that he, after years of care and rehabilitative magic, was able to remember much of his former life. He would never be as powerful again though, which, it seems, he was more than willing to accept.  
  
"Less responsibilities, young Hermione. I don't mind resting for a bit," he had told her, eyes twinkling.  
  
As she stood with her memories, Snape stuck his head through the door again and scowled at her. He was getting a little annoyed with the little wench, after she had left him for so many years. He had wandered the halls of the school for many months when he didn't have a class, just waiting out the torment that had befallen him.  
  
He had begun to enjoy her at his side, watching her eyes dance at something he said, or even relishing her comfort when he had a moment of despair. Rarely had he been able to see a pupil turn into a young adult after they had graduated. She had done just that before his eyes, as she searched the Hogwarts library almost obsessively, or worked in the Potions Lab to create the countercurse. He had noticed that her moods had been a cycle of ups and downs, and towards the end of her stay, they had increasingly been on the downside. He knew that there was little he could do to help her, but apparently, that redheaded dunce could. He had pleaded with her not to leave, but inside he knew that if there was to be any hope for him at all, he had to have her alive, and at least moderately happy.  
  
He was relieved to see that she was back, for more reasons than one. He may have needed her cure, but he found that he also needed ... her. He couldn't understand this odd attachment, but he had felt lighter when he had discovered her alone in the Hall. The heaviness of her absence had disappeared in an instant. Hence, the ill-timed joke. How beastly stupid that had sounded.  
  
"Miss Granger? The hour is getting late," he reminded her. 


	4. Recriminations

A/N... I thought I had set my options for anonymous reviews, but oops.. .went back and found it still checked. It's now open so if you haven't reviewed because I hadn't done so before, please do so now. I really need some input...lol. Thank you to those four of you that have taken the time out to do so already. It's keeping me going, as I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in this story at all.  
  
Chapter 4. Recriminations  
  
Snape pulled back into the room with a last glare at Hermione. She smiled ruefully at the door. *Typical modern male* she thought bemusedly, as she opened it and entered the room.  
  
Snape was standing at the desk, which was littered with homework assignments and test papers, all scattered aimlessly. It had been one of his pet peeves that he held against Professor Stewart, the current Professor of Potions and Magical Devices. The course had been expanded to include charms, amulets, and various jewelry as the previous Professors had been killed in the attack. Some had argued that one professor should not handle the load by herself... but Snape had, albeit reluctantly, found that, except for the untidiness of her personal space, she was able to bear it admirably.  
  
He wondered at Lupin's insistance in allowing her to remain doing so, but it really wasn't his problem. After all, Lupin shouldn't really still be the Headmaster, in his opinion. He was, after all, a werewolf, and he had only been given the position temporarily after Dumbledore fell. It seemed, though, that the Ministry had all but forgotten his appointment, or had decided that since he hadn't killed any students in the fifteen years since then, he could be trusted. Snape had been in no position to take on the responsibility, and McGonagal had no desire to do so.  
  
He turned to look at Hermione as she entered the room. He watched as she crossed the room, getting reacquainted with the Lab. He thought he detected a certain amount of, what was it, nostalgia? She seemed content to be at home, despite the consequences, but he knew she wasn't intending to stay. She glanced towards the particular bench where they used to sit together working and noticed the sadness cross her face.  
  
Snape closed his eyes against the sight. Her melancholy was starting to infect him. He knew she didn't want to do this, but if it hadn't been for her, THIS would never have happened in the first place. It was all because of her blasted nosiness. Hers and her little troupe of troublemakers'.  
  
As it had happened, the trio had been researching a way to negate the Killing Curse. Potter had managed to survive it merely being wrapped in his mother's love, or at least that's what Snape was given to understand. For her Senior year thesis, Hermione had decided that she was going to tackle the impossible and try to find a counterspell using this bit of information. She had bullied Potter and Weasley into helping her, as she had later done to try to find the cure for her counterspell.  
  
It seems that the counterspell that they had researched would only work if the love was unconditional. Snape had not made friends easily, and certainly none among his students would even consider him as one. It only happened that year that Hermione had started finding just a little warmth in her heart for the cynical teacher. She had begun to put two and two together... and was coming up with something much more than four. Of all the things she had discovered about him, one thing kept coming up... Dumbledore's allowing him to teach. She knew the old but astute headmaster wasn't about to let someone who was so apparently evil be a Professor in a school full of children. It was another thing for Quirrel to come in and be a bumbling, stuttering wisp of a man and fool him, so Hermione felt there was so much more to Snape than was evident.  
  
Although her logic could have blown up in her face, like the Muggles' dabbling of things arcane and magical, somehow she knew she was right. The more she watched Snape during the year, the more she realized that deeply... she liked him. She never imagined it could turn into something more. After all, he was a teacher, she a student, but even when he seemed to crack down hard on her that last year, she always was able to shrug it off, feeling that he really didn't mean it the way it sounded. Harry and Ron had both thought she was loony, but she felt that her grades improved somewhat when she was able to stop worrying about how evil and unfair the Potions Professor was.  
  
Snape wandered over to the bench where they used to work and ran his hand over the surface of the table. Hermione moved up to stand beside him and placed the amulet on the table. He stared at it for a moment before turning to her.  
  
"Is that all the component that is needed for this spell?" he asked incredulously. Hermione shook her head.  
  
"No. I need to move a few benches and..." Her voice trailed off. He thought he had heard a slight tremble in her voice.  
  
"And...?" he prompted.  
  
"I need to draw a few things on the floor," she whispered.  
  
His brow furrowed. "Excuse me? You mean like a Portal diagram?"  
  
Hermione nodded slowly.  
  
"Hermione," he said in a low voice, "You aren't going to summon a Demon to take me to Hell, are you?"  
  
Suddenly, a grin flashed onto her face. "No, you silly goose. Hardly that!!!" The grin faded and grew a little sad. "Never that. I couldn't live with myself if I did that." At that, the corners of her mouth turned downwards again.  
  
Snape didn't notice. He was looking at the charm again.  
  
"Well, I should hope not. It's not like I haven't been in my own personal version of Hell for the past fifteen years," he said acidly. "Thanks to your damned research..." He peered at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that his words had taken effect, and immediately regretted them. Hermione's eyes swam with the tears she had held back for so long.  
  
"You inconsiderate beast," she whispered angrily. "How can you stand there saying such cruel things to me when you know I've been trying so hard for so long to help you!"  
  
"If you hadn't been so 'helpful' in the first place I wouldn't be in this situation!" he snapped without thinking about it.  
  
"I should have let Voldemort kill you then!" she screamed at him, her face turned beet red in fury. "When he found out you had been spying on him, I should have just let you be punished! Then you would have died a sad, lonely man who never knew how anyone felt about him... just the way you would have liked it!"  
  
At that, she picked up the amulet from the table and threw it at him. It bounced off his shoulder and he flinched as if it had stung him as much as Hermione's words had. 


	5. Resolutions

A/N Just a couple more chapters to go... I hope you aren't disappointed....  
  
Chapter 5. Resolution  
  
Hermione stared at the amulet on the floor trying to gulp back her irate gasps, trying to calm her heart. She couldn't believe she had thrown it at him, and didn't want to meet those deadened eyes.  
  
"I'm s-sorry..." she said meekly, and chanced a glance at him. He wasn't even looking at her. His attention was focused on the amulet.  
  
"You... have... NO... idea..." he started. He stared at the floor in front of him, looking, momentarily, like a dejected puppy. He lifted his eyes to her face, and if he hadn't been so pale already, she would have thought he had whitened in shock and anger. She pulled herself up, and stood with her chin up. She decided he was NOT going to get the better of her. He was not going to keep using her as his punching bag. She had given fifteen years of her life to try to find the countercurse to end his torment, and if he couldn't respect her for it... well, to Hell with him anyhow. Perhaps she WOULD look for a spell to summon a Demon. After all, she had broken wizarding laws to get the amulet to work, so what's one more?  
  
She brushed past him and picked up the amulet. She turned towards him again, and this time, she noticed his eyes were shut. She frowned. He actually looked like he was trying to hold back yet another retort. As it was, she was mildly surprised that she had rendered him virtually speechless. Usually, she would have by now received a scathing lecture on something to do with immaturity or illogical females. She was setting up her own rebuttals to anything he might say, when she realized... it wasn't coming.  
  
Snape remained still, trying to come up with something vitriolic to reply to her remark, but all that kept running through his head was *She hit me with the amulet. It actually touched me. Perhaps this time she actually has done it. But how...? Surely, she didn't..."  
  
Snape turned to give Hermione a stern glare. "Miss Granger, please tell me, how did you get that amulet to touch me?"  
  
This was not something Hermione was prepared to answer. She knew the magics that were used to create the amulet were not allowed by wizarding law. In fact, they touched on the Dark Arts, and although they weren't necessarily from the school of Necromancy, they were ambiguous enough to be banned altogether, just for the same reasons she needed to use them.  
  
"I would rather not tell you, but you have to admit that considering what we have been trying to achieve all these years, this is really the only way. The amulet needs to be around your neck, and you need to be in the middle of the diagram."  
  
With this comment, she began to move benches around, pushing them out of the way so she can create her Portal on the floor.  
  
"Miss Granger... Hermione...," Snape moved up near her as she began to draw. "The Ministry of Illegal Magic Use will surely.." He stopped. He couldn't believe that he actually wanted to talk her out of this. He had waited so long for his release, and yet, his concern for her seemed to exceed his own personal desires. When did this happen? He knew that if (when) the Ministry caught wind that she had performed this spell she would be given a one-way ticket to Azkaban.  
  
Hermione continued to work quickly and quietly. She would peer up at Snape every now and then, hoping that he wouldn't do anything to jeapordize her spell. She needed to do it tonight, before she lost her nerve. The next dark of the moon could find her totally unable to perform it from a paralyzation of fear. So now was the time. She could finally finish this chapter of her life and move on. It would be hard to see the last of him, but she knew that she owed him this much.  
  
It took a while to get all the symbols and sigils right. Everything had to be just so, or else the spell would fail... and possibly drastically so. She was playing with magics that were far stronger than the average witch or wizard would dare to use. She was no longer the wide-eyed invulnerable adolescent that wanted to create a ward for the Killing Curse.  
  
She remembered back to the first time she had ever actually heard someone use the Curse. She had found herself trapped in the Potions Lab with many of the other Gryffindor and Slytherin students that usually attended her class. Harry was nowhere to be found, but Voldemort hadn't known that. Hermione was told later by Harry that for some reason he found he had the sudden urge to go to the loo just before the attack occurred. Why he would chance Snape's anger for missing classtime they would never know.. but it was lucky he did.  
  
The students knew something was up when they heard screams and the pounding of feet heading down the corridor outside the class. Most of the students had already had their wands out when Voldemort came bursting through the door flanked by a pair of Death Eaters. His reptilian eyes scanned the faces of the students and Snape drew himself up in surprise. He hadn't anticipated this attack. He hadn't known it was coming, and he had thought he had been privy to the innermost secrets of the Council. He surreptitiously pulled up his sleeve to check to see if the Dark Mark was even there, in case, somehow, somewhere, it had suddenly vanished. No, it was there. His eyes darted to the silver-masked figures and saw them searching the room.  
  
"He isn't here if you are looking for Potter," he started. Every Gryffindor's head whipped around to glare at Snape.  
  
"You wouldn't dare... " Hermione hissed at him, shocked and upset that Snape would give Harry over to the Nemesis of the wizarding world. She had grown to respect him, but she felt it begin to diminish in despair.  
  
"Miss Granger, bear with me," he muttered, just low enough for her to hear. "He is up in his Tower with the flu," he sneered loudly.  
  
"Stow it, Snape. We know he's not there, but it's a good try," said one of the Death Eaters. Draco sucked in his breath. He recognized the voice of his father, and backed up against one of the walls, eyes wide in fear. He knew of his father's connection with Voldemort's group, but he had not known of the extent of what he could do.  
  
The other figure was holding back several of the other students threateningly with his wand, while Voldemort strode forward to confront Snape personally.  
  
"Well, well, the spy is still trying to be a double agent," he rasped. " You realize now, I hope, that you have been found out. You did deceive me, but I'm going to let you go. I could use some entertainment, and using you for some... experiments ... would be most amusing. However, I can't expect my forces to spend their time guarding you when they have work to do here today."  
  
With that, he levelled his wand towards Snape, and with a smirk, snarled, "Avada Kedavra." A green light shot out the end and enveloped Snape.  
  
"NO!" Hermione screamed, leaping forward, and began chanting, using the charm she had come up with for her thesis. She had never had opportunity to use it before. Not too many people were willing to let themselves be killed so she could test her theories.  
  
A golden light emanated from her wand and diffused itself within the green beam. She concentrated all her respect that she had for her teacher into the light, willing his soul to remain attached to the Earth, willing for him to cast off the Curse of Death.  
  
She felt an arm try to clasp her from behind and struggled against it while she stubbornly refused to break her concentration. She barely registered when it vanished from around her, although she did hear a rather loud thump and an muffled oath.  
  
Snape in the meantime was torn between agony and Hell. He screamed till he grew hoarse, and his muscles spasmed till he blacked out.  
  
He came to, and noticed the silence, except for the occasional sob from one or more of the students. He was sure that having seen the Killing Curse performed in front of them had to have been rather distressing.  
  
*Hold on a moment* he thought to himself. *I shouldn't even be alive...* He looked up from the floor and stared straight into Hermione's shocked eyes. He shook his head and found that it didn't hurt. Remarkable, he didn't hurt anywhere.  
  
He pulled himself up into a sitting position and noted that the deadly trio had left.  
  
"They left thinking that they had taken care of you. Well, two of them did at least," Hermione whispered in strangled voice. "The other is there, underneath Ron."  
  
Snape peered over at Ron, and sure enough, he was sitting on top of a figure wrapped tightly in his own robes, with the hood twisted over his face. Ron was twirling the wand in his fingers but stopped when he noticed Snape looking. He stared back, and his skin blanched making his freckles stand out.  
  
"Cor blimey, 'Mione. What did you do?"  
  
Snape frowned at him, and as he stood up, he noticed, all around him, eyes widening and jaws dropping in alarm and fright, as all the students stared dumbfounded ... at him.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N Ok... sorry it took me so long to get this chapter written... but as you can see, it was a rather hard one to write. I'm still not entirely happy with it, so if there are any pointers any of you can give me, please feel free to do so. 


	6. Release

Chapter 6. Release  
  
Hermione carefully drew her last sigil, sat back on her haunches, and wiped the chalk dust off her fingers. She gave another low sigh as she looked up at her former professor. She pulled a black candle out of the pockets of her robe and placed it in the middle. She didn't want to think about how much that candle cost her. She had had to make it herself as most of the black ones were very dear on the Black Market. It was hard enough getting all the right components since most were usually associated to the Dark Arts. She only hoped she had only spent money for its creation.  
  
She stood and faced Snape and nodded slightly.  
  
"It's ready. Are you?"  
  
Snape glided over to her and peered at her down his long nose. "You do realize that your choices may destroy your life?" he murmured.  
  
Hermione was mildly suprised. She could actually read concern in his coal black eyes. She suddenly felt a stinging behind her eyelids, the stinging of tears threatening to reappear. She never imagined that he would consider her future after this spell was complete. After all, he wasn't going to be around to worry about it. She ducked her head and tried to recompose herself. She had to be calm to cast this spell.  
  
She heard a faint whisper of wind as he approached her. She lifted her head and noticed he was standing quite close to her. His usually pursed lips were softened into a slight smile... not a smirk... a smile. *No, it's not his lips smiling.* she thought to herself. *It's his eyes. He could have actually been a nice looking man if he hadn't always been grumping about.* She shook herself and took a deep breath.  
  
He waited as she steadied herself. He realized that it might be the last conversation he would have with her, and he was saddened by what could be her future. He frowned as realization dawned that he didn't want her to go through with this. He knew he would be doomed to eternal torment... but dammit, the girl was a child when she "helped" him. He had been a teacher to children for too many years to not have it affect him. His jaw worked as he glared about him, trying somehow to puzzle his way out of this predicament. His own personal desires warred with his slightly developed sense of decency... and decency seemed to be winning.  
  
He pushed away from her as he fumed. Hermione flinched, not understanding his sudden mood change. She watched as he circled the Portal diagram on the floor, muttering and hissing at himself as he studied each sigil and devined their meanings. His eyes blazed as he peered up at her when he had finished the circumference.  
  
"You aren't going to do this. I will not allow it."  
  
Hermione gave an exasperated gasp.  
  
"NO... You can't deny me this. It's the ONLY way I can atone for what I did to you!" she practically screamed at him. " I WON'T have you disallowing it after FIFTEEN years of research!" Her chest heaved, barely holding back the sobs that tried to escape.  
  
"Miss Granger! I will not have you dying in Azkaban for me! This is simply going too far!"  
  
A quiet voice cut through their raised ones like a knife. "It's not too far for love and respect."  
  
Both combatants whipped around and saw that they had gained an audience. Lupin stood in front of a small flock of Hogwarts professors who had somehow slipped in quietly as the both of them had prepared for this momentous spell.  
  
Hermione looked stricken. She glanced towards her diagram and wished she hadn't put the candle in it quite so soon. *What am I thinking? The diagram itself supports enough evidence to convict me.* she despaired. She turned back towards the group and gulped as she waited for their judgment.  
  
Lupin approached her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You can't possibly think that no-one knew what you were doing, did you Hermione?" he asked her. "Take a look at your professor and tell me that no-one could tell that it would take some powerful magic to release him from his state. The Ministry knows. They're aware."  
  
Hermione felt a fury rise up in her. "They knew? They KNEW? Then why did they let me continue? Did they want to punish me for cursing him, and they didn't have reason enough to do it before?" She lashed out, blinded in her anger. "They WANT me to die for hurting their spy. They WANT me be punished for trying to rise above them, for doing something that noone else had ever done."  
  
Lupin grasped her and held on as the years of anger, fear, and despair were released through her sobs. She knew that she wasn't being terribly logical in her thinking, but at the moment she didn't care. All she hoped was that the Ministry would be merciful enough to let her die quickly.  
  
As she calmed, Lupin gently pushed her away and made her stand on her own. She had collapsed into his robes and soaked them, so he let her recompose herself, again, before he gave her the news.  
  
"Hermione, the Ministry didn't stop you because they understood your intent. You weren't doing this for personal gain. You were doing this to help someone you loved and respected, as I was trying to explain to Severus earlier."  
  
She stood, head bent, not daring to hope. She waited as Lupin explained the intricacies of Ministry thinking and lost her train of thought as one thing came clear to her. Her future wasn't going to be spent going insane chained up in the worst place imaginable. She lifted her face to stare at the little crowd waiting inside the door to the classroom. She scanned the faces of the professors, some familiar, and saw that Lupin's words were true. They didn't despise her for using Black Arts. Rather, they admired her, for sacrificing so much to save someone that wasn't well liked by most.  
  
She peered across the room into the gloom not touched by candlelight. She caught sight of Snape, head cocked back against the wall, eyes closed. At the end of Lupin's explanation, he straightened up and drifted forward a pace or two. "So she's not going to suffer needlessly for the diagram," he muttered tonelessly.  
  
"No, Severus," Lupin answered. "She may continue with the spell. We will all be witnesses to ensure it's validity, that is... if you don't mind."  
  
Hermione had finally calmed enough to turn to the former Death Eater. His eyes were boring into hers, hoping, waiting. She stepped towards him and held up the amulet.  
  
He moved closer and hovered before her. His face softened again as he noticed the anguish had lessened considerably on her own countenance. She raised the amulet higher and gently placed it around his neck. It clung to him and he marvelled in the power he felt emanating from it. It took quite a bit to enable an item to remain in between two planes of existence. He knew this personally, as it tired him a great deal to move any object in the material plane.  
  
She watched the emotions flicker across his face as he felt the weight of the amulet. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes as he bent over her in an uncharacteristic gesture, and sighed softly as she felt the faint brush of his lips flutter over hers.  
  
He straightened up and floated over the edge of the diagram to the center. She began murmuring the words to the spell in a singsong cadence as he turned to face the small audience. She briefly entered the Circle to light the candle and she stepped out quickly as the walls of force began to build themselves out of her chant.  
  
Hermione watched as the edges of Snape's ghostly form started blurring and his face turned upwards. She watched as delight formed his lips into an actual smile and his eyes literally blazed as he gazed towards the heavens that only he could see. She steeled her voice not to waver and refused to lose her concentration just like she did so many years before. This time though, she wasn't tying him to the Earth, but letting him go as she should have done before. The walls of force seemed to be some sort of guide or funnel for him to follow as the tethers to this plane loosened.  
  
As her chant reached it's peak, the walls were almost opaque, leaving little to be seen as Snape vanished. Suddenly, they collapsed in a glittering display much like the Muggles' fireworks displays, with a gust of "wind" exploding and imploding almost instantly, leaving the audience somewhat flustered and awed. A small thump and tinkle was heard from the center of the diagram as the amulet landed, no longer having anything to support it. From where Hermione stood, it looked as if the crystal had blackened as if it had burnt out, like an overloaded fuse.  
  
Snape was gone.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N...Yes, I know some of you are probably mad at me. Not all stories have gushy happy endings, so I'm sorry if I disappointed you.  
  
Please let me know what you think. Flame away... the story stands. 


	7. Epilogue

A/N This bit has played itself out in my head for the past two years, plaguing me to write it down. I'm still not sure if I should add it, but I did anyway. Hope you like.

Epilogue

Her eyes fluttered open as a snort issued from the other side of the bed. Ron shifted, muttered unintelligibly and lapsed back into slumber. She kept her eyes closed, relaxing into the pillows propped around her, as she waited to be certain that he was indeed asleep. She didn't know what had actually awakened her. It could have been almost anything, considering how lightly she had been sleeping lately. It was rather difficult to find a comfortable position.

She shrugged out from under the covers and slowly slipped from the bed, trying not to wake her new husband. He looked so peaceful. He always did now that she was finally home with him, for good. Even when he was at his most lecherous, like he was the night before, it delighted her to see his perfect contentment with her continuous presence.

As she listened to the night sounds slowly give way to their day replacements, she considered the events that had played out just six months before. A sigh escaped her as she remembered the look of joy on her professor's face as he eagerly embraced his long awaited release. She glanced over at her Ron, wondering how he would have reacted to seeing his old nemesis finally die. After all, that's basically what he had done. Die. And she was instrumental in his death, regardless of the fact that he would have been actually killed fifteen and a half years before by the most evil of sorcerers had she not interfered. She pursed her lips and shook the memory away.

She wandered out to the kitchen and got the coffee going. She wasn't supposed to be drinking any at this point, but she couldn't resist the occasional cup. As she waited for it to brew, she stood by the window facing the east, and watched the sky fade along the horizon. The hills slowly deepened to stand in contrast against the dim glow of predawn light. As the coffeemaker gurgled and hissed behind her, she watched the sun tiptoe into the morning. It was a soft sunrise, nothing spectacular.

Hermione knew that her future with Ron was secure, and was going to be happy. He had waited so long, so patiently for her, even since the Winter Ball at Hogwarts, so he said. She hadn't been aware of his growing infatuation at first, but it had probably mirrored the one that she had for him. Krum had just been, well, a fling so to speak, as far as teenage romance goes. Even as she had dated him, she had found herself attracted to the freckled faced friend that had supported and cared for her through their years at Hogwarts. She was happy that they had finally gotten started on their life together.

Her mind drifted back to her last visit at Hogwarts. Although the night was never far from her thoughts, the sting of Snape's last farewell had begun to fade. She touched her lips softly, remembering the one and only time her teacher had reached out to her fondly. What might have been. Or would there have been? Hermione didn't think she would ever know, as divination was definitely not a favorite school of magic for her. How Professor Trelawney could have been so right in the end escaped Hermione's comprehension. All she could speculate was that had she not have succeeded, however unsuccessfully, with her spell that cursed Snape, she would not have needed to research for so long and so diligently. But had she not done so, she never would have gotten to know Snape as she did. It was all so dreadfully confusing.

She felt a movement in her abdomen. How odd that whenever she reflected on that night, the baby would stir. Maybe it sensed her mixed feelings. Maybe it could hear her increased heart rate and responded. She didn't know. Again, she may never know. Either way, she would always be curious as to how quickly after that night she had gotten pregnant, considering that they had actually tried more than once beforehand and hadn't succeeded. She rubbed her belly, soothing the kicks as she crooned to her baby boy. Oh, yes. It was definitely going to be a boy. She didn't know how, but maybe that was just her payback for spurning Professor Trelawney's class.

"I remember now why I love you. You look beautiful," came a low whisper from the doorway. She turned to stare into big blue eyes and a sheepish grin. For a fleeting instant she imagined a sardonic smirk play across a pale face, framed with greasy black hair. She shook off the image and went to melt into her husband's arms.

"I love you, too … Ron."


End file.
